The Strain: It's Not for Everyone
August 4, 2014 8:22 AM - Season 1, Episode 4 - Subscribe
The parasites continue to spread, the CDC characters realize the full extent of what they're dealing with, and Abraham begins his grim quest against the Evilguy Stoneheart Foundation. Also, a car is stolen and sold.
The autopsy scene had me actually, literally yelling at the screen.
"What happened to the worms?" "I don't know."
You don't know? You are terrible at your job. Oh, and what kind of CDC scientist doesn't know what "cloaca" means? The crowning moment, though, was when Eph (ugh) handed the sample to Nora, and she well-nigh stuck her face in the jar instead of immediately sealing it.
How these people aren't already worm-infested and chugging down blood smoothies eludes me.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:46 AM on August 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
"What happened to the worms?" "I don't know."
You don't know? You are terrible at your job. Oh, and what kind of CDC scientist doesn't know what "cloaca" means? The crowning moment, though, was when Eph (ugh) handed the sample to Nora, and she well-nigh stuck her face in the jar instead of immediately sealing it.
How these people aren't already worm-infested and chugging down blood smoothies eludes me.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:46 AM on August 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
Let's be fair to Nora. Like a day earlier, everything was normal. Now Captain Quint is decapitating people and your partner/boyfriend is all, "This is awesome! Let's rock!" Nora does not know she is in a monster movie. Nora is in some semblance of reality where people have names like Eph Goodweather but otherwise things are basically as we know them. If I'm Nora, my next stop once I get the fuck out of murder house is to the goddamn cops. Yes, these people are obviously sick and dangerous, but if you're a doctor (!) the first solution you think of is generally not to start chopping heads off.
Plus, Eph just seems nuts now. "At last we can finally do some good!" Dude, for real, you're the CDC. Was someone standing in the way of you giving kids booster shots or whatever before? Does Jenny McCarthy have that much power? Because it sounds like you're saying, Finally, we can start chopping some heads off, which leads me to believe you were just never in the right line of work at all.
This is definitely the most fun episode so far. And next week: Flashbacks to nazi vampires! I won't lie and say this is high art or anything, but I finish my weekend on a much happier note than I did watching Mad Men at this time.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:50 PM on August 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
Plus, Eph just seems nuts now. "At last we can finally do some good!" Dude, for real, you're the CDC. Was someone standing in the way of you giving kids booster shots or whatever before? Does Jenny McCarthy have that much power? Because it sounds like you're saying, Finally, we can start chopping some heads off, which leads me to believe you were just never in the right line of work at all.
This is definitely the most fun episode so far. And next week: Flashbacks to nazi vampires! I won't lie and say this is high art or anything, but I finish my weekend on a much happier note than I did watching Mad Men at this time.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:50 PM on August 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
I am so much happier with this show now that everyone can stop talking about their feelings and GO KILL VAMPIRES WITH DAVID BRADLEY.
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:59 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:59 PM on August 4, 2014 [4 favorites]
My problem with Nora's reaction is that it seemed like a complete reversal from her reaction to Eph clubbing the Captain with the fire extinguisher about half an hour earlier. She was fine with her ex-beau squishing his skull and performing an impromptu autopsy without following any of the protocols. Then suddenly, she's horrified that they have to kill these parasite-driven scary creatures. Also, did Eph actually say that they were controlled by virus? After he's finished an autopsy and found evidence that it's parasites? That seems like terrible writing to me. Unless the claim is that the parasites use a virus to reshape their host's anatomy?
I am very happy that Gertie the German Shepherd was killed off camera though. That's a kindness.
I like every single character more than Eph. I'm hoping that hanging around w/ Abraham will make him better.
posted by gladly at 7:38 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
I am very happy that Gertie the German Shepherd was killed off camera though. That's a kindness.
I like every single character more than Eph. I'm hoping that hanging around w/ Abraham will make him better.
posted by gladly at 7:38 PM on August 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
That dog had been Chekov'ed for what, two episodes now?
God damn are the CDC guys stupid. "Instead of telling... literally ANYONE, much less hospital staff who are probably going to have to deal with this infection at some point, we're going to incinerate the evidence and investigate Scooby Doo style on our own."
And how is their solo vigilanteism possibly going to work now they know that (a) all of those 300 supposedly-dead victims are now zombie-ing around the place, (b) they're infectious, given that the little one had parasitized her father, (c) they're hungry -- they note that the father had clearly been out killin'.
Eph's what, an epidemiologist? He surely must know now that he's facing something exponential.
That autopsy scene was gruesome. And OH MY GOD you're going to need more than some standard issue gloves WE ALREADY SAW IN THE MORGUE THAT THE WORMS CAN PENETRATE LATEX.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:50 PM on August 5, 2014 [4 favorites]
God damn are the CDC guys stupid. "Instead of telling... literally ANYONE, much less hospital staff who are probably going to have to deal with this infection at some point, we're going to incinerate the evidence and investigate Scooby Doo style on our own."
And how is their solo vigilanteism possibly going to work now they know that (a) all of those 300 supposedly-dead victims are now zombie-ing around the place, (b) they're infectious, given that the little one had parasitized her father, (c) they're hungry -- they note that the father had clearly been out killin'.
Eph's what, an epidemiologist? He surely must know now that he's facing something exponential.
That autopsy scene was gruesome. And OH MY GOD you're going to need more than some standard issue gloves WE ALREADY SAW IN THE MORGUE THAT THE WORMS CAN PENETRATE LATEX.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:50 PM on August 5, 2014 [4 favorites]
So... I just finished watching this episode and came straight here and favourited all of your comments because YEAH. I have outsourced all my thoughts and opinions to you, and you are doing a great job so thanks everyone
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 5:42 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 5:42 PM on August 5, 2014
I feel like it's gotten much better at balancing ridiculous with entertaining in the last couple of episodes. Pulling that six foot long grossness out of the dead vamp's throat! Lady feeding her annoying neighbor to her husband! I'm all in now.
posted by something something at 5:55 PM on August 5, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by something something at 5:55 PM on August 5, 2014 [3 favorites]
"Hey, you forgot something [the recycling]. Go green."
Ok, that shit made me laugh.
Other funny scenes:
Mousy wife: Ansel, are you hiding from me? Why did you do this [kill the dog]?"
Me: Who the fuck cares! RUN!
Ansel: RUN! RUN! Run, now!
-and-
Mousy wife sending the neighbor to the shed. Awwwesome! She's still weird, though.
Dear F, nobody is going to arrest you for killing a monster.
Dear monsters, you gotta learn the range of that tongue. It's, like, essential to your continued survival. Man, it's like watching kids playing keep-away on the playground. Sad, just sad.
Dear GF/Assistant, that's not a little girl. That's a monster. She just tried to kill you. You've seen their insides. Eight or twenty-eight, she's a monster. Or is the show really saying a woman can't deal because BABBY (god, I fucking loathe that word).
Did anyone else think that traitor was going to get eaten when the others left him alone with the corpse? But he didn't so that scene between F and GF/assistant makes no sense. It's pointless padding. All he did was ask her if she needed time. I guess cause he was waiting for her ladylike swoon. (Then again, she did go full-on stupid with the kid. Really? You'd rather yourself and evidently the entire world become monsters rather than kill then. You.are.batshit.stupid.)
Other pointless scenes:
Breakfast at the ex-con's house. Why?
We're hiring a hax00r, who agrees to a face-to-face in my creepy, private high-rise. Lulz.
Mousy wife changing her shirt because she got sweaty from walking outside. In winter. (I'd roll my eyes but they're still on the floor from that scene where F asks his GF if she's going to faint.)
Scene with jeep not starting and convo abt trading a Rolex for it. Editing, baby. It's called editing.
Also, face masks, people. Autopsy 101, much less Monster Autopsy. Geez, y'all suck at every damn thing.
This was a more entertaining episode than 1 and 2. I'm sticking with it--if only to see how they manage to bring GF/Asst back into the fold.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 8:22 PM on August 5, 2014
Ok, that shit made me laugh.
Other funny scenes:
Mousy wife: Ansel, are you hiding from me? Why did you do this [kill the dog]?"
Me: Who the fuck cares! RUN!
Ansel: RUN! RUN! Run, now!
-and-
Mousy wife sending the neighbor to the shed. Awwwesome! She's still weird, though.
Dear F, nobody is going to arrest you for killing a monster.
Dear monsters, you gotta learn the range of that tongue. It's, like, essential to your continued survival. Man, it's like watching kids playing keep-away on the playground. Sad, just sad.
Dear GF/Assistant, that's not a little girl. That's a monster. She just tried to kill you. You've seen their insides. Eight or twenty-eight, she's a monster. Or is the show really saying a woman can't deal because BABBY (god, I fucking loathe that word).
Did anyone else think that traitor was going to get eaten when the others left him alone with the corpse? But he didn't so that scene between F and GF/assistant makes no sense. It's pointless padding. All he did was ask her if she needed time. I guess cause he was waiting for her ladylike swoon. (Then again, she did go full-on stupid with the kid. Really? You'd rather yourself and evidently the entire world become monsters rather than kill then. You.are.batshit.stupid.)
Other pointless scenes:
Breakfast at the ex-con's house. Why?
We're hiring a hax00r, who agrees to a face-to-face in my creepy, private high-rise. Lulz.
Mousy wife changing her shirt because she got sweaty from walking outside. In winter. (I'd roll my eyes but they're still on the floor from that scene where F asks his GF if she's going to faint.)
Scene with jeep not starting and convo abt trading a Rolex for it. Editing, baby. It's called editing.
Also, face masks, people. Autopsy 101, much less Monster Autopsy. Geez, y'all suck at every damn thing.
This was a more entertaining episode than 1 and 2. I'm sticking with it--if only to see how they manage to bring GF/Asst back into the fold.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 8:22 PM on August 5, 2014
The neighbor getting et was a just punishment for his attitudes about dog training.
I had been zoning out during the last episode, but I liked this one, although yeah...they do some impressively stupid shit for CDC doctors.
posted by biscotti at 7:08 AM on August 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I had been zoning out during the last episode, but I liked this one, although yeah...they do some impressively stupid shit for CDC doctors.
posted by biscotti at 7:08 AM on August 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think CDC stands for "Centre for Deficiency of Clues" in this show.
posted by Pendragon at 3:14 AM on August 16, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 3:14 AM on August 16, 2014 [3 favorites]
During the last couple of scenes I kept hearing people say Eldridge's name and I'm like "Eldritch? Oh, not yet. So ... Eldridge still for now. Got it."
posted by komara at 9:11 PM on August 29, 2014
posted by komara at 9:11 PM on August 29, 2014
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I was also so, so disappointed that they turned Nora's character into the overemotional person who suddenly doesn't want to kill vampires. Such a cheap thing to do with that character, much less having Eph's character come in and talk sense into her.
But the Vampire-dad eating the dog an the neighbor, all of the stuff at Le Petit Vampire's house, and even the seemingly non sequitur car stealing scene were well done. Really, the hour flew by for me.
posted by codacorolla at 9:15 AM on August 4, 2014 [2 favorites]